Tag Archives: solar

Those suffering from certain ailments of the heart, have to have a pacemaker installed. Surgeons place this tiny medical device in the chest or abdomen of the patient and it helps to control abnormal heart rhythms. The device generates electrical pulses and prompts the heart to beat at a normal rate. Power comes from implanted Lithium-iodide or Lithium anode cells, with Titanium as the encasing metal. The downside to this arrangement is the cells need replacement once they are discharged, and that Read more [...]

Most photovoltaic systems contain parts such as the solar modules (panels) to provide the electrical power, a battery charger for converting the panel output to the battery voltage, a battery pack to store energy during the day and provide it during the night time, an inverter to transform the battery voltage to the proper line voltage for operating home appliances and an line source selector to switch between the solar and grid power.
When the sun is shining during the daytime, the solar photovoltaic Read more [...]

Yiying Wu, Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the Ohio State University, Ohio State, and his team has combined a solar cell and a battery to form a single device. A novel solar panel on top of the battery captures energy from sunlight. The battery is able to source 20% of its energy from sunlight. Although the design is pending a patent, the researchers have published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Tests conducted by the researchers show that their solar Read more [...]

Although few people would have noticed, the costs of solar photovoltaic cells have been dropping over the years. As the technology took off, costs plummeted in the first 12 years. However, between 2005 and 2009, global market demand surged, making it difficult for supply to keep up. As manufacturing picked up post 2009, solar PV cell prices have continued their downward trend steadily. Now, it makes sense for companies to switch to PV cells purely based on economics.
As solar grows to become a Read more [...]

Normally, a modern silicon solar cell exhibits a maximum theoretical efficiency of about 33.7 percent. A majority of the sunlight falling on the solar cell – more than 66 percent – is not converted to electricity and is simply wasted in heating up the cell. Now, a new type of solar cells may be able to boost this efficiency to 95 percent or more.
The University of Cambridge Cavendish Laboratories is researching on a new type of high-efficiency hybrid solar cell. The UK researchers are using Read more [...]

Can a Solar Cell Store Its Own Power?
Researchers at Ohio State University have invented a device that looks like a solar cell but has the ability to store the power it generates. The patent-pending device is the world's first solar battery. On October 3, 2014, the researchers reported in the journal – Nature Communication – that they have succeeded in combining a solar cell and a battery into a single hybrid device.
The innovation is a special solar panel in the form of a mesh that allows Read more [...]

Growing demand for renewable energy sources has skyrocketed all over the world, but no where is this more evident than in China.
Take a look at the city of Rizhao where miles of dark tubing cover the roofs of apartment buildings and private homes. The reason? Using solar powered hot water heaters is mandatory in Rizhao. In fact, due to requirements such as this one, China has become the largest producer (and consumer of) solar hot-water heaters. Rizhao's commitment to solar energy is deep: it Read more [...]